


Closet Skeletons

by Maudestea



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-02-02
Packaged: 2018-01-10 16:08:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1161802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maudestea/pseuds/Maudestea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Mink begins his new life with Aoba, tales of his past come out in the open. When Aoba thinks he can help heal his love's wounds, will he do just that or tear their relationship apart? Set after Reconnect GE!Mink.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a fill-in Mink back story. There's OCs, cutie super worried Aoba, and a sex scene a bit later. Hope you enjoy it and I'd really appreciate any feedback if ya got it.

Aoba woke with a start to find that Mink was not in bed beside him. He quickly rose and was dressed in minutes. Just before he’d finished, however, Mink came in with two cups of coffee. Aoba took the cup offered to him, taking a cautious sip. Mink gave him a warm smile before leaning down to give him a long, sweet kiss. Aoba hummed his approval as they pulled apart. 

“Good morning.”

“I’ve already made breakfast. I’d like to take you somewhere once we’re finished.” 

Aoba blinked his surprise as Mink turned back out, heading towards the kitchen. Knowing it best to wait until they left rather than ask, Aoba sat with Mink and ate in silence. Once finished, Mink grabbed a small parcel from the table in the living room. He turned to Huracan and nodded. In an instant, the giant bird was perched on his shoulder, the two leading the way out of the cabin. Aoba followed obediently with Ren nestled in his arms. 

He took note that they were heading in the direction of the valley where Mink had revealed himself only months prior. Just before the forest came to an end, Mink made a turn down a narrow path that slowly fanned out into a large clearing where several small totems stood. For the most part, each totem was no more than a whittled column, each with it’s own distinct marking. At the farthest end of the clearing stood one particular totem that loomed over a small head stone. Mink took a moment to bow in short prayer before entering the apparent graveyard. 

Aoba watched somewhat nervously, observing the way Mink’s fingers brushed against each marker. By the time he was halfway through, he stopped, turning towards Aoba with an outstretched hand. 

“There is someone I want you to meet.”

The blue haired man slowly made his way to Mink, taking his hand as they walked to the grave in question. Once close enough, Aoba could make out an inscription that read: Herein lies the Witch of Scents; her warmth forever in our hearts and homes. ‘And from death to ash shall they be reborn.’

Mink kneeled before the grave, removing and unwrapping the parcel, removing a beautiful beaded necklace interwoven with feathers. He took the gift to his lips, leaving a soft kiss. Huracan leaned over in the direction of the necklace as Mink held it up to him. It had appeared that he too, placed a kiss as the tip of his beak gently tapped the center bead. Mink reached up towards the totem, wrapping the offering around and fastening it so that it hung without fear of falling. He clasped his hands together in a silent prayer before quickly rising to his feet. Looking back for a moment, he smiled and grabbed Aoba by the hand. 

“This is Aoba.”

At hearing his name, aoba looked from Mink to the grave and smiled awkwardly. 

“This is Palmata,” Mink squeezed his hand for a brief moment,” she was my wife.”

The younger man’s eyes widened in shock, but he held his tongue and smiled again. “It’s nice to meet you, Palmata.” Mink never turned his gaze away from the totem.

“He is with me. To watch over and protect me, just as you had done.” Aoba felt a fuzzy warmth fill his chest and throat. In that moment, he felt as if he would cry. 

“Forgive me my selfish request,” Mink bellowed, “I wish for your passing. I have made peace with my past and hope that hearing so also brings the peace you need to rest. To end your suffering.”

A warm gust of wind blew through the clearing. It had sent a shiver down Aoba’s spin, as if slender fingers deftly danced along his back. Mink closed his eyes as the breeze blew over him, his brows knitting in confusion. Aoba peeked up into his face, the older man’s expression turning somewhat cold. 

He gave a slight nod before tugging on Aoba’s hand, “Let’s go home.” 

 

Aoba raised an eyebrow but kept silent. It wasn’t until hours later, as they were eating dinner, that he asked about their trip to visit his deceased wife. 

“So did she end up...crossing over?” Mink glanced up from his food. 

“No, she didn’t.” 

“Is, there something we can do to help her?” Mink smiled warmly at Aoba, taking a lock of his hair. 

“It isn’t that she is unable to leave, she simply doesn’t want to yet. There is something else she must see to before she is at peace.” 

Aoba leaned into Mink’s hand. 

“We should continue our visits until she has deemed the time is right.”

Mink stroked Aoba’s cheek, pulling away to continue eating.

“What was she like?” Aoba asked shyly. 

“Can we finished eating first?” Mink snapped, causing Aoba to smile apologetically. Once they had finished their meal and cleaned up, Mink sat on the couch, patting the seat beside him for Aoba to take. The younger quickly obliged, sitting closely while leaning into Mink’s side, a strong arm draped over the back of the couch and Aoba’s shoulders. 

“She had a small build and was far too skinny, like you.” Aoba’s head shot up, his tongue sticking out playfully. 

“Many argued that she was the most beautiful girl in our village.”

“Who said she wasn’t beautiful?”

“I did.” Aoba raised a brow. 

“That was before I was given the chance to know her. Palmata was very stubborn, when she didn’t get her way, but she was always positive about it.” Mink chuckled, “She really wanted to travel so she could meet new people and see other cultures. When I’d leave for work each day, she made countless of these.”

Mink tugged at one of the bracelets on his wrist and took a feathered braid of Aoba’s hair for him to see. It was then that Aoba put together that Palmata must have taught Mink how to make them. Whenever Aoba had a chance to compliment his pieces, he’d grunt in response and Aoba could sense there was an air of dissatisfaction about him. He had been comparing what he was making with the jewelry she had made when she was alive. 

“There was also a time when she made protective charms based on peoples’ scents.” 

He paused for a moment to take a shaky breath, “When we couldn’t get pregnant, she started to sell them in the city’s marketplace to take her mind off it.” 

Mink looked to Huracan who sat perched at the other edge of the couch, a sleeping Ren curled up in the cushion beside him. “And one day she came home with him.”

“With Huracan?”

“But she had named him Tori and she hand made all of his beads.”

Aoba turned to look at the large cockatiel as it sat with its visible eye closed in sleep mode. When he looked back up, he found Mink watching him, his eyes full of pain as he relived his past life. Aoba sat up and took his lover’s face into his hands. They shared a warm, loving kiss. Aoba took Mink and lead him to their bedroom to sleep. 

 

For the next few weeks, they would rise early to visit Palmata to say a few prayers and leave offerings. After the first few days, Mink had refrained from asking her to move on. From then on, he would simply pray for her passing, only to be disappointed. Aoba was confused as to how Mink was so sure as to what he was “hearing” from Palmata. the blue haired youth chose to not ask, as Mink’s level of frustration grew with each visit. There was one morning where Mink woke Aoba whilst rubbing his back.

“I can’t go out to see her today. I’ve too much work to do.”

Aoba groggily rose from the bed, Mink brushing his messy bedhead back to plant a firm kiss on his forehead. 

“Mmm...don’t worry about it. I’ll head over there with Ren and apologize for you.”

Mink left for work after a lazy makeout session, leaving Aoba and Ren with a bouquet offering. With Ren leading the way, Aoba blindly followed. 

“Aoba, there are two people just ahead of us.” 

“Are they in the graveyard?”

“Affirmative.” 

Aoba picked Ren up and put him into the safety of his bag, his fluffy head propped up just out of the opening. He was cautious in making his way to the clearing. Just from the edge he could see the two figures Ren spoke of; the first was a tall woman, her dark hair braided and pulled over her shoulder. Beside her stood a small, wobbly child clinging to the woman’s skirt as it placed a flower before Palmata’s head stone. Aoba, not feeling any sort of threat, approached them. 

“Um, excuse me?”

The child jumped, completely startled as he hid behind the woman. Aoba couldn’t help but stare at the child, his fear stricken eyes shining a beautiful gold. 

“Forgive us, we were just leaving,” the woman said, her deep, silky voice sending a shiver through Aoba. 

“No, I’m sorry. I was just surprised to see there were others here! There’s no need to rush.” Aoba looked up to make eye contact with the woman, her kind gaze causing him to tense up. She gave him a smile and moved aside to allow him room to approach the grave. he did, laying the bouquet beside the lone flower and prayed.

“That’s a very pretty flower you’ve given her.” The little boy, still hiding, made an embarrassed chuckle. 

“Granma!” the infant giggled in response. 

“My mother is buried here,” the woman explained, “all of these other graves have unidentified bodies lying beneath them. It’s been told that my mother’s people were wiped out in a single night, burned beyond recognition.” 

She bent down to pick her child up. Aoba found himself in complete awe. This woman’s story did resemble the memory Aoba had seen when he used Scrap on Mink, but Mink had said…

“What of your father? Did he burn too?” 

The woman looked to Aoba with a sad expression. “It is more than likely. You see, I had been born that very night. The woman who raised me said she knew my mother from having worked with her in the town’s market, but that she’d never learned her name, nor had she the chance to meet my father.” 

Aoba was even more astonished. 

“Th-the woman who raised you?” 

“My mother died during childbirth…”

“Puppy!” the child screeched excitedly. The adults smiled as Aoba raised Ren just within the child’s reach. He looked up for the woman’s approval before leaning over to pet Ren. 

“Good morning,” Ren greeted, his mechanical tail wagging excitedly. The child giggled with glee, hugging the woman’s neck tightly. 

“Well, we’ve many chores to get through today, please take care.” She turned away and began walking off, whispered something into the boy’s ear. 

“Bye bye!” the child called just as they ducked into the shadow of the forest. Aoba stood watching after them for several minutes, trying to wrap his head around what had just occurred. 

“Aoba, your processing-” 

“Yes, Ren, thanks,” Aoba put his hand over Ren’s mouth as he turned to head back home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished writing the sex scene and I'm actually incredible surprised with myself. Anyway, please enjoy.

“Why didn’t you and Palmata have children?” 

Aoba was afraid to ask, but it had been a week since Mink asked him to visit her grave alone, a week since he met that woman. Mink’s gaze was hard and complicated. He took a long breath after a moment. 

“Our leaders claimed she was cursed.” 

“Cursed?” Aoba nearly spit, appalled by the statement.

“There isn’t a direct translation into Japanese, but she was essentially so. It was said at her birth that she would be a seer, able to see the future of our people because of her natural scent.” 

“What was her scent?” 

“Ash; rebirth; the remains of a fire that produces a suffocating miasma. When she was still just a girl, she saw a vision of a villager birthing a stillborn. A few days later, several women miscarried, and our elders deemed her a burden.” 

Aoba felt a twinge of pain in his chest when Mink continued.

“It was then decided that we would be married once we were of age.” 

Death and Rebirth. Their people had put them together in hopes that their fates would counteract and could be changed. But...it had failed…

“She was relatively ill during childhood, but she had healed well by the time we were married.” Then she didn’t bare a child. “She had told me she was pregnant one morning.” 

Aoba’s heart stopped. 

“I hadn’t believed her until she began to show. Even then, I just said she must not have been very active and that she had gained weight.” Mink’s faint smile dissolved into a scowl. “The night they were killed, she was only 6 months along.” 

Aoba shot up from his seat, nearly knocking the chair over. 

“The baby lived…”

Mink raised an eyebrow, motioning for Aoba to repeat himself. Tears began welling in Aoba’s eyes. 

“I saw her, your daughter, at Palmata’s grave…”

Mink pushed his chair back, his brows furrowed, waiting for Aoba to continue. 

“She was raised by a woman from the marketplace. She must live in the city.”

Aoba darted for the door when Mink rose from his seat, grabbing the smaller male by the arm and gently pulled him back. Mink’s gaze was hurt and confused. Aoba turned back to him to place his face in his chest, his arms wrapping around the other. 

“Mink, please, believe me. I know what I saw and heard.” He looked up to see Mink was listening intently. “Your daughter is alive and well. this must be the reason Palmata refuses to cross over. She knows you two need each other.” 

Mink’s expression softened, although it still held some hesitance. Aoba leaned up and kissed him, tears dripping down his cheeks as he pulled away. Mink’s finger wiped the tears away, pulling the beautiful face back to his for a fleeting kiss.

“Let’s go.” 

 

The couple had spent the remainder of the day searching the city’s bustling marketplace looking for the woman Aoba had met. By the time the sun had set and the numerous vendors were closing shop, an older woman watched as an exhausted Aoba nearly collapsed against a nearby building. His head was hung down into this palms when Mink came up, helping to stand him up straight. The woman approached them, her gaze stuck to the flamboyant bird perched on Mink’s shoulder. Mink’s eyes darted to the hobbling woman as she addressed him. 

“What a pretty bird,” the woman cooed, “and such magnificent beads to compliment your feathers.” 

The woman reached out for Huracan, Mink bending down until her wrinkled hand could caress pink tailfeathers. 

“I haven’t seen beads like those for a long time…”

“Then you knew the woman who sold them?” Mink’s voice remained calm, although Aoba could feel him tense. 

“The Witch of Scents? Ah, she was a blessed woman. Filled with such promise, such hope and kindness. There was one time when a foreign couple was here-” 

“Do you know if there was any other vendor that worked with her?” Aoba cut the woman’s story off. She didn’t seem at all fazed as she moved to pet Tori on the head. 

“Another vendor?” Her wrinkled face bent with concentration as she tried to recall. “No other vendors, no one could do what she did. But, there was the child from the hotel. They’d become very fond of each other when they helped that couple. I believe her name was Mara.”

Aoba’s heart skipped a beat, his lips dry and his soreness disappearing as the adrenaline pumped through him. 

“Would you know where we could find this woman?” 

The old woman shook her head, withdrawing her hand. “She moved after she had her daughter, so I’m not sure where they reside now.” And just like that , the trail went cold. “You lot looks so disheartened,” the woman cackled. “I was about to say, she returns here once a month to sell her hand woven tapestries.” Aoba looked over at Mink, his expression unreadable. 

“When will she return?”

“In three weeks’ time, I’m sure. She’d been here only last week and sold nearly everything.” 

“Three weeks…” Aoba let out. 

“Thank you, grandmother.” 

“Of course,” the woman smiled a nearly toothless grin. 

 

Aoba had grown incredibly distressed in the passing week. After their encounter with the old woman, they had returned home to their normal routine, Aoba still having been the only one visiting Palmata. In the time he had to consider their predicament, he had realized he was too hasty and that he should have investigated into it more on his own before confronting Mink. 

He felt guilty and had been shying away from Mink’s kiss as well as not returning his embrace. Whether or not Mink noticed his behavior, he didn’t bring it up. They hadn’t made love since they’d first began their visits. He felt at fault for it, having brought these scars up. Why was Aoba so obsessed with bringing Mink and his daughter together? Although the evidence wasn’t solid, there had just been too many coincidences to have not acted. So why? Did he want Mink to have some semblance of hope from his past life? Or, maybe he felt guilty being told his old lover’s spirit still occupied their world? Did Aoba really want to rush this so she would leave and have Mink all his own? But if that woman was his daughter… 

The second week passed, and Mink had become annoyed with Aoba’s behavior. 

“Oi, what are you so worked up about?” Aoba jumped at the booming resonance of Mink’s voice. The blue haired man looked down feebly, offering no answer. 

“Aoba!” Mink slammed his hand down on the table. Aoba rose from his seat, his face red with anger. 

“What?!” 

“Answer the fucking question; what’s your fucking problem?” 

“You don’t seem at all affected by our situation, so why should I confide in you?” 

“Our situation can’t be helped anymore. For now, we just need to wait until we run into her again.” 

“‘Until we run into her’? And how are we going to do that if you won’t go see Palmata with me? Do you not want to meet your daughter? Or do you think I’m just crazy, o-or full of shit?” Mink’s anger seemed to deflate at the last question, a sudden realization having seemed to hit him. 

“You don’t think it’s her?” Aoba twitched back. 

Was that why he’d become so anxious? He still held doubts that the woman he’d met was Mink’s kin. And what if it turned out she wasn’t? Would he be racked with more guilt at having lead Mink on a goose chase? Even more so, what if it was true; Mink’s only kin returned to him after so many years. Did he think Mink would go back to his old life, pushing Aoba, the man he’d claimed to have given him a new purpose and life, aside? 

Aoba had begun to cry before he realized it. He took to wiping his tears away frantically, but with every tear he removed, several more took its place. Mink took Aoba into his arms, brushing away the worry lines in his forehead and planting a kiss in its stead. 

“I’ve no doubt in my mind that the woman you met was the child my wife birthed.” He watched as Aoba turned up to look at him. “The stories line up well, and while it all may seem a coincidence, you saw her. You could sense the blood of my people running through her veins. Whether she ends up permanently in our lives or not, you are my life, my love, and I will have you here by my side no matter what.” Aoba’s tears came a new with Mink’s statement. With a small smile, Mink bent down, taking the trembling Aoba in a loving kiss. 

Aoba sighed. It had been too long since they kissed like this, let alone since they last held each other. Mink’s hands greedily slid down Aoba’s sides, giving firm squeezes at his hips and ass. Aoba moaned, pressing back into Mink’s grasp. He pulled them towards their bedroom, closing the door with such force that it slammed shut, startling him. Mink let out a low chuckle as he nipped at the rising goosebumps on his lover’s neck. 

“Clothes,” Aoba moaned, taking a couple of steps back to make an attempt at quickly removing his clothes. Mink watched with obvious amusement, the thinner man somehow coming off as seductive even when it took him an extra moment to tug his tight pants off his flushed frame. Aoba pouted once he was finished. 

“Do you need me to help you?” 

Mink raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in atmosphere. He stood still and watched as Aoba begrudgingly got to his knees, taking the waistband of Mink’s pants between his teeth. He pulled back until the button popped out of its clasp and the zipper was forced down. Without warning, he yanked the pants down to let them pool on the floor, nothing but thin briefs left between Aoba’s warm mouth and Mink’s semi-hard dick. He took to licking and sucking through the material, leaving a wet trail behind. Aoba gave his balls a small bite, his dick twitching in immediate response. With a small chuckle, Aoba pulled the underwear down as well, planting kisses at the leaking tip and all down the shaft. 

Mink stepped out of his clothes as Aoba took him in, a coiling heat building in the pit of the larger man's stomach. Mink removed his sweater, pulling it up from the back of the collar, creating a swift arch over his head before dropping it on the floor beside them. He reached down to cup Aoba’s cheek. Aoba looked up and pulled back to the tip with a loud sloppy pop. He came back down, ignoring the sense of choking as he took in as much of Mink’s length as he could. A gruff groan rang from above, the dick in his mouth throbbing, the hand that had just found his hair grasping it a bit too firmly. Aoba hummed, the hand in his hair gripping harder as the phallus inched in just a bit farther. He could feel a thick liquid rolling down the back of his throat and he made to swallow it on instinct as Mink pulled out of his mouth. Aoba coughed, trying to swallow as much spit as he could muster to stop the uncomfortable itch. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Mmmm,” Aoba purred as he rose to his feet, quickly plopping his taut behind on the bed. He motioned for Mink to join him with a single finger, their lips meeting in a messy kiss as they fell into the bed. Aoba felt his face burn when their dicks made contact. He could feel the heat and throbbing that emanated from Mink’s, even as his own did the same. Mink broke their kiss and began traveling down Aoba’s body, kissing, sucking, and licking at all of the sensitive spots he’d come to know in their time together. Hoping light brown eyes wouldn’t notice him licking his own lips, Mink dipped his tongue into Aoba’s bellybutton, the latter bucking forward. Mink could feel the goosebumps rise at the action and followed them down the rest of Aoba’s body. For a moment, he took the cute dick before him into his mouth, hollowing out his cheeks and giving it a strong suck. At the sound of Aoba’s surprised grunt, Mink released him with a pop, grabbing it with his fingers, gently stroking and grazing the sensitive flesh. 

“AH! Ah hwah, fuu…” 

Mink smiles up to see Aoba’s eyes are screwed shut, his eyebrows knit in agonizing pleasure. He pulls his mouth and hand away to rise. 

“Flip over,” he gently commands, a pouting Aoba readily complying. Aoba’s ass raised high in the air, Mink comes down to lay a kiss on either cheek. He leans over towards the dresser beside the opposite end of the bed, Mink’s dick slipping and rubbing between Aoba’s stretched cheeks. A sharp cry rings from the smaller male, his hips pushing back to repeat the action. Mink raises a brow and makes another attempt to stretch out, reaching for the small container of the lubricant cream. With one final thrust, Mink removes the boxes cover and covers his fingers in the oil, filling the room with the scent of flowers. 

“Nff, Mink. Mmmm...hurry.”

Mink sucks some of the excess off the tip of his finger and sticks his tongue into Aoba’s entrance. “MAH! Ngh~” Mink’s tongue dipped as far into Aoba’s ass as possible, his lips curling around the tightly squeezing muscles. He took a finger, still wet with the aphrodisiac, to graze the tip of Aoba’s dripping dick.

“Uah ha ah AH!” 

The older man withdraws his tongue from his partner’s depths, taking several wet laps at the tight muscles before planting a kiss there. He takes his fingers and begins to insert them, one at a time and soon with a scissoring motion to ease the tension in the ring of muscles. A sharp gasp escapes Aoba when Mink’s fingers hit his most sensitive spot. He takes a moment to rub at the bundle before pulling the digits out to replace with his own length. 

“Hi-hyah! Mnuh…”

Mink clenches his teeth, his sensitive dick engulfed by the tight heat. He stays there for a moment before pulling back and slamming back in at just the right angle. Aoba’s head shoots up, a strangled moan racking his body with shivers of delight. With a smirk, Mink pulls out completely, and lets the head of his dick sit at Aoba’s entrance. The larger of the two watches, bemused at the erotic way in which Aoba looks back over his shoulder, pushing back for Mink to re enter. He moves as if to comply but stops short of letting the tip pass. 

“Stop, TEASING!” Aoba begs, his glare heated with lust and frustration. Mink leans over him, their lips connecting in a wet jumbled kiss. “What do you want me to do, Aoba?” The blue haired man seems to be on the verge of tears, saliva dripping down onto the bed below him. “Hck, ungh. Mink, please, ngh, fuck me.” 

Mink smiles, rises, and thrusts into Aoba without another word. Their rhythm starts off fast and occasionally slows as Mink completely pulls out only to pound back in and continue. He can feel Aoba’s body squeezing him more with each thrust and knows that they’re both close. He takes a moment to bend over Aoba again, nibbling and kissing his shoulder. Large hands brush aside long blue locks and Mink moves to kiss and lick the back of Aoba’s neck. 

“Ha, uh, aaaaahhhhh…”

“.....Aoba.”

“Me AUGH! too, MINK!” 

With a final thrust, Aoba’s ass tightens, his cum shooting in streams across their bed. Unable to pull out to thrust again, Mink takes a tight hold of Aoba’s hips and lets his load fill his lover with a heavy grunt. They remain still for a moment, breathing heavily and shaking in their respective orgasms’ afterglow. Mink pulls out, Aoba moaning in protest. As Aoba turns over and lies on his edge of the bed, Mink rises and takes several tissues from the dresser, making sure to replace the lubricant’s cover. He passes the tissues to Aoba, kissing him repeatedly as he does so. 

Aoba smiles and hums in response, reaching back with the tissues to clean himself out. Mink watches with heavy eyes as a new blush creeps into Aoba’s face. He wipes up the mess on the bed before picking up a waste bin and holds it for Aoba to dispose of the tissues. They lay on their bed in silence aside from the rhythm of their staggered breaths. 

“She had a dream the night before.” Aoba turned to face Mink, draping an arm over his chest where their hands met. 

“She’d told me there was someone who would save me and, in turn, I’d save them. I laughed at her that day, saying it was a bizarre dream. That I wouldn’t need saving with all of the physical strength I possessed.” Mink stopped there and Aoba concluded that it was after their conversation that the genocide of their people had begun. Aoba adjusted his head to kiss Mink on the chest.

“I didn’t believe it then, but I know now it was another vision. She knew I would survive that night, that I would go on to meet you and that if I didn’t fuck it up, we’d fall in love.” 

Hearing Mink mention their relationship made his body burn with embarrassment, but Aoba smiled all the same. 

“I’d lost faith in her, but even in death she refused to give up on me.” Mink turned to look into Aoba’s eyes. “I know that regardless as to what happens concerning my daughter, I am eternally blessed.” They leaned in to share a slow kiss. 

“I love you, Aoba.”

“I love you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the final installment. I've posted a graphic violence warning for reasons you will see if you finish this. Please enjoy.

The temperature of the room dropped suddenly and the way his body tensed roused Mink from his sleep. He reached over, expecting to feel a warm body and found none. Perhaps that was why the warmth was gone, he thought as he got out of bed. Opening the door leading out of the bedroom, Mink froze and stared out into the hallway, unmoving. The house was different, although it still felt familiar. It was bigger for some reason and was made of the same type of wood, although the walls were aged and smelled faintly of smoke. 

He slowly made his way to the living room, the furniture feeling the same as the hallway had, but it didn’t surprise him for whatever reason. He heard large wings flap just outside of the door. Taking heavy steps, Mink made his way to the front door and opened it. What he saw before him left him in a strange mix of shocked, perplexed, and serene. Before him stood his village, standing strong and bustling with people. He was transfixed and stood very still and simply watched, as if he were unable to figure out what was happening to him. 

“Good morning,” a husky voice echoed from the side of the house. He saw a back he instantly recognized, although it was fuzzy and felt much farther than it seemed. He reached out a hand where it was suddenly burned, making him draw it back in shock. Mink looked down to see that the hand was no longer his own as the skin fizzled from the extreme heat it had just been withdrawn from. He looked up to see the village he remembered being set aflame, although it was from a perspective he had not witnessed himself. As if of their own accord, his feet began to turn him around as he made his way towards town, away from the agonizing screams and cries for help of his people. 

The earth beneath him shifted and he fell to his knees, his entire body suddenly wrought with pain that stemmed from his stomach. Without looking down, he rose to his feet and pressed on through the dense forest to the sleepy town that was completely unaware of the pillaging of the village it once called neighbor. He looked about frantically, not knowing any of the buildings that surrounded him while his feet carried onwards. It wasn’t until he had reached a hotel that he lifted his arms and tried to break down the door. A feeble looking young woman opened the door hesitantly and, upon seeing him, opened her eyes wide in horror. 

“Palma? What is going on? What are you doing here?” 

“The baby…” a fuzzy voice let out as Mink fell to his knees just within the doorway. The woman hurried to his side and helped him up, ushering him to a private room behind the counter. She placed him there and retreated for a few minutes, soon returning with a disgruntled looking older woman. Upon seeing him, she gasped and barked commands at the young woman beside her. 

“Everything will be all right, okay?” 

“Please, save her…” Mink could feel that the voice was coming out from him but knew that the voice wasn’t his own. He suddenly coughed violently, spouts of blood sputtering out of his mouth. A violent, nauseating pain overtook him as he coughed and he kept his eyes shut tight as the fit overcame him. When he opened his eyes, he was in a different place, standing above the older woman and the body he had supposedly just been released from. 

The older woman stared at the body he had just occupied, it’s swollen belly covered in blood, puke, and dirt. He watched on as the young woman returned with the items the elder one had asked her to retrieve. She immediately fell to her knees beside the bloodied figure and held her hand as if to console her. 

“Mari, please, if I don’t make it-” 

“Palma, save your energy…”

“You’ve lost too much blood, child. We need to get the baby out right now.”

“She...only 6 months?” 

“Your child won’t have any chance of living if it remains inside of you now, get ready.” 

Proud blood stained shoulders shook violently as the apparent midwife went to prepare the body for labor. A pained gasp escaped as the dirtied woman leaned back, her wet hair sticking to her abnormally pale face. Mink felt a strong pinch in his chest, as if the woman were physically reaching for him and had managed to claw at his chest. Her eyes shot open, an enraged scream escaping her. Dark emerald eyes gazed up at the ceiling with a determined look, as if the woman who possessed them were fighting to stay awake. It was not long before more blood came forth, pooling on the floor beneath the woman’s legs. The midwife pulled back and looked up at the woman who sat writhing in pain, her companion trying to keep from weeping beside her. 

“It's time to push, Palmata…” 

The woman jerked her head back up, staring into the eyes of the midwife. She took a deep breath before her body tensed and she pushed with a blood curdling scream. It seemed that more blood came forth from her as she body relaxed and tensed, each push becoming weaker than the last. 

“There it is!” the elderly woman said firmly, the shock in her voice apparent. She pulled back, a small, blood soaked creature in her arms. She took it away as the new mother sank back in exhaustion. The woman began to wheeze, her friend taking her head to rest in her lap. While the feeble woman cried into the fading woman’s hair, the woman, clad in drying blood smiled a tired grin. She pulled on the gentle hand that still held tightly to hers more out of fear than comfort. 

“Protect her, Mari…”

“This isn’t funny, alright? You’re going to make it through this…”

“My people are calling to me. I must go.” She looked up at the corner of the room, as if she could see Mink standing there. His heart stuck in his throat as she smiled at him and continued. “I wish those two could have met my family. Oh but I suppose they will, just not now…”

She tried to breath in but blood that had likely made its way into her lungs made her cough up more blood instead. Mari held her by the shoulders as she convulsed in her arms. When her body had ceased to shake, the light in her eyes had begun to fade. 

“I love them so much, Mari. My beautiful family...I’ll never forget them…”

Her grip gradually began to loosen until her hand fell onto her blood stained chest. Mari reached down to take her hand back up and shook her, calling her name and crying into her hair. The scene began to blur and slowly lost focus until the sound of a baby’s wails made Mink’s vision go black and his consciousness faded. 

 

Mink awoke feeling as if he’d just blinked rather than having just woken from a sound slumber. He realized right away that he wasn’t in his home, although his bed and the sleeping body that lay beside him were still present. It took only a moment before his body went stiff when he saw the woman seated beside his sleeping lover, brushing blue hair out of his face with dark, slender fingers. 

“I told you he’d be beautiful, yeah?” 

The woman’s voice was low but held a soothing sing-song tone. Her long curly locks draped over Aoba’s back, the dark brown beautifully accenting the young man’s pale skin. She leaned over fully, planting a loving kiss on his temple that enticed a gentle moan from Aoba. 

“Palmata…”

At the sound of her name, Palmata’s dark green eyes shot up to meet with golden ones. 

“I’m sorry for showing you that…”

“You’re dying memories?” 

She nodded solemnly, sitting upright. “I knew it was something that would haunt you. It was, just so gruesome and unbecoming, I didn’t want to show you until I knew you were ready for it.” 

She smiled at him, her plump rosy cheeks rising to the point that her eyes creased at the edges. 

“Don’t you look well, love.” 

Mink swallowed as he stood up from the bed, his wife’s spirit mimicking his movements on the other side. She made the first move to approach him, her fierce eyes not once breaking contact. With an excited giggle, she rose on her tip toes, throwing her arms around his shoulders to pull him into an embrace. He held her tightly, carressing the small of her back and her wide hips. She pulled away then, searching his face with an excited demeanour he’d come to recognize when she’d have nothing particular to say, but was thinking faster than he could ever keep up. 

“You’ve so many wrinkles,” she said in awe, running her finger along the worry lines that decorated Mink’s forehead. His frowned deepend, causing a roaring laugh to escape her thin lips. 

“You would look the same if you were with us.” 

“Ah, but then that wonderful boy wouldn’t be by your side,” Palmata retorted, waving a warning finger towards Mink. He looked down to fully take her in when he’d seen the necklace that hung from her neck. It was the one he had made and left for her during their first visit. She followed his gaze and smiled back up at him in a cheeky manner. 

“Now, you’re not going to tell me you made this, yeah? I didn’t think I’d live to see the day that you’d make something this advanced.” 

“You didn’t…” 

Palmata’s smile faded as she rubbed her fingertips along the beads. 

“No I suppose not.” 

She watched his face, void of emotion. “My death, our peoples’ deaths, did not need to lie upon your shoulders. Toue manipulated us, broke us down and made us weak.” She held his chin up to lock eyes with hers. “You’re no more to blame for our end then the elders were for my visions.” 

Mink furrowed his brow as he tried turning his head away, but a strength he’d not known of his wife during her life held him still as she continued. 

“They had only the best intentions in mind, just as I had the intent of dying for you to see that my vision came true, and just as you’d had good intentions when you met Aoba.” Mink flinched at the last part, his guilt for having taken advantage of Aoba filling his chest with a sharp pain. She looked down at his chest, smoothing her palms over it, as if she were trying to wipe this sensation away. 

“He has forgiven you, just as I have forgiven you, and just as they have forgiven us. What you have done can never be undone, that is just the way your world works. But he is a kind soul,” she smiled over at Aoba this time, Mink turning to see that he had shifted to face them now. 

“Oh, I simply can’t stand how beautiful he is,” Palmata mewed. She twitched for a moment and turned to look back up at Mink. “It will be morning soon, my dear. Are you ready to see me off?” 

“She will be there today, won’t she?” 

“Patience is a virtue, dearest,” she laughed. “You’ll be so very proud of them…” 

She sat down on the bed and grabbed for Aoba’s hand, interlocking their fingers. 

“Beautiful, strong, selfless blue butterfly,” she brought his hand to her lips, “take care of them for me.” 

 

Aoba woke with a start, finding Mink’s side of the bed empty. He was surprised he was less concerned about Mink’s whereabouts and was more worried about the voice he had heard that brought him out of sleep. It was so soft and kind, it gave him goosebumps as he tried to remember the words it had whispered to him. In that moment, Mink walked in, a single cup of coffee and a fresh set of clothes held in either of his hands. 

He sat himself on the bed, handing the coffee over to Aoba. When he was sure he’d had a firm grip of the mug, Mink leaned over and gave him a firm peck on the cheek. Aoba felt a blush creep into his face as Mink moved in closer to plant soft kisses all along his jaw and neck. Aoba moaned in response, trying to balance the coffee as Mink pulled away just as suddenly as he had come in. 

“We’re going to send her off today,” Mink stated with a confidence Aoba hadn’t expected out of him. 

Without eating breakfast and as soon as they’d dressed, they headed down the well trodden path to the clearing, hand in hand, with Ren leading the way. Aoba suddenly found himself stuck, his knit sweater having been caught on a tree branch. 

“Idiot..” Mink chuckled, pulling him free from the tree’s clutches. Aoba blushed, his expression embarrassed and somewhat irritated, “It isn’t something I can help, thank you very much.” 

“PUPPY!” 

Aoba looked to the ground, finding that Ren was nowhere to be seen. With a newfound burst of excitement, he ran towards the direction of the excited screech, nearly dragging Mink behind him. From the edge of the clearing, Aoba saw the child hugging Ren, the Allmate seemingly returning the gesture whilst standing on his hind legs. The woman turned then to meet Aoba’s gaze with a smile when her attention was drawn up to Mink. Her smile dropped and her face flushed, she took a step forward but stopped. Mink then stepped past Aoba, giving his hand a loving squeeze before releasing. The two met halfway through the graveyard, never once breaking eye contact. 

The woman opened her mouth to speak when a gust of wind blew through the clearing, taking the woman’s loose hair as if it were strands of ribbon meant to dance in the breeze. Just like Mink’s, the young woman’s hair began as a brown and had a gradient that turned the tips a soft burgundy. 

“Welcome home.” 

Aoba failed to fight back an elated chuckle as the two had spoken in nearly complete unison. They turned to look at Aoba, Mink sending him a subtle glare whilst his daughter lightly laughed with him. Mink turned back to her and took the hand that greatly resembled her mother’s. She took hold of his hands as well and gave them a soft kiss along the knuckles. She then motioned to the child that stood gawking behind her. He ran into her arms, allowing her to easily lift him. 

“Say hello to your grandfather, Tori.” 

Mink let out a quiet gasp at the child that was presented to him, their matching eyes staring deeply into the other. The child looked down as if embarrassed when his mother nudged him. When he looked back up, Mink smiled at him and responded with a cheery grin of his own. Tori reached out to Mink, the man taking the child into his arms and embracing him. As the child held Mink around the neck, Mink looked up, beckoning the woman to come to him where he nuzzled his face into the top of her head.

It was then that a final gust of wind blew into the clearing, rolling strong enough to rustle the trees. Aoba twitched back in surprise, having just felt a sensation that resembled a kiss on his forehead. He reached up, finding a small leaf that had been caught in his hair. As the wind began to subside, a gentle whisper made its way to Aoba’s ears.

“Beautiful, strong, selfless butterfly, take care of them for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there you have it. My crazy depressing Mink back story. It was so much fun and yet so stressful to write this and I'm infinitely excited about how it turned out. Thank you for reading and I really hope you enjoyed it!


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